


The Ultimate Foursome That’s Actually A Fivesome But Not Really

by musikfurfreiheit, unchaintheescapist



Category: Delain (Band), Nightwish, Within Temptation (Band)
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22987102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikfurfreiheit/pseuds/musikfurfreiheit, https://archiveofourown.org/users/unchaintheescapist/pseuds/unchaintheescapist
Summary: This masterpiece is co-written with the amazing unchaintheescapistThe odd/Charlotte chapters are written by meThe even/Sharon chapters are written by ElliThe Ultimate Foursome That’s Actually A Fivesome But Not Really; a fanfic that’s just as long and weird as the title.
Relationships: Floor Jansen/Charlotte Wessels, Floor Jansen/Sharon den Adel, Merel Bechtold/Charlotte Wessels, Sharon den Adel/Tarja Turunen
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Charlotte could hear her girlfriend sigh once again as she ran through the living room. There wasn’t much time left but Floor obviously didn’t see how serious the situation was. Charlotte had been running through the entire house to hide pictures, stuffed animals and post-its with hearts on them while Floor had only moved her clothes from a chair to the closet before sitting down on the couch.

‘You really have to relax.’ Floor said when the redhead entered the living room again, looking around to see if she had missed anything. ‘There’s no way she’ll find out by the way your house looks.’

‘Are you sure?’ Charlotte asked as she bit her lip.

‘Yes, I am sure. And, if you’re so afraid, why didn’t you tell her to spend the night at Sharon’s place?’

‘Because I’m the only one Merel knows.’ Charlotte said as she sat down next to her girlfriend. ‘She doesn’t know you, Tarja or Sharon. It’s only logical that she stays here.’

‘Then why did you invite her if she doesn’t know any of us?’

‘It’s a girls’ trip, and she’s a girl. Come on, we’re doing this because we want to get away from our male band members. Merel and I are the only women in the band and we had a spot open anyway, why wouldn’t I invite her?’

‘Because I thought I would have you all to myself for at least one evening.’ Floor said as she wrapped her arm around Charlotte’s body. ‘You don’t want Sharon and Tarja and the rest of the world to know about us, I get that. It can affect our careers and our friendship with them. But it would have been nice to spend one evening alone with you.’

The bell rang before Charlotte could answer. With an apologetic look she stood from the couch and threw Floor an air kiss before disappearing around the corner. Through the door, Charlotte could already recognize the guitarist’s silhouette and with a smile she opened the door. The girl standing in front of her looked tired and the suitcase she was carrying was almost as big as her.

‘Hey!’ Merel smiled, happy to finally arrive at her friend’s place.

‘Hi, come in.’

Charlotte stepped aside and took Merel’s suitcase once she was inside. She showed her where to put her shoes and coat before guiding her towards the living room. Floor had turned on the TV and barely looked up as they entered.

‘So, this is the living room, and that’s Floor being too lazy to get up.’

‘I am driving almost 700km tomorrow, my legs need to rest.’ Floor answered without looking up. ‘By the way, nice to meet you, Merel.’

Charlotte sighed and dragged the guitarist towards the spare bedroom. The walls were white and the big guitar poster on the wall was a real eye-catcher. Merel smiled as she saw it and immediately walked towards it.

‘This is amazing! Please don’t tell me you put this here especially for me?’

‘Of course I did!’ Charlotte joked as her mind wandered to the poster that now hung above her bed.

First the guitar had been the eye-catcher in her own room but it had to move when Floor gave her a new one. The picture of Nepal was perfect. It captured the beauty of the country in a way she couldn’t even start to describe. Now every time she walked into her bedroom she was not only reminded of the country but also the woman she loved.

‘Is Floor sleeping on the couch?’

‘Eh, no, she’s sleeping with me.’ Charlotte said as she was pulled from her thoughts. ‘I mean, next to me, Floor will sleep next to me. We’ve shared a bed before, it’s no big deal.’

‘Oh, okay.’

Charlotte could almost slap herself as they left the room again. It was perfectly possible that Merel would find out about her relationship with Floor just because she didn’t think about what she was saying. Or because of a pair of leather pants. Charlotte noticed the piece of clothing as soon as she opened the door to the bathroom and had to bite her tongue to stop herself from cursing. Was it really that hard for Floor to remove _all_ her clothing from the bathroom?

Praying Merel hadn’t noticed them, she closed the door again and went back downstairs. She gestured for Merel to sit down and smiled as she noticed the distance she left between her and Floor.

‘Do you want to drink something?’

‘Just some water would be nice, I couldn’t get anything on the train.’ Merel smiled.

‘Whiskey.’

Charlotte rolled her eyes as she heard her girlfriend’s answer before she made her way towards the kitchen again. It’s was strange not to have to send away her cats before she could work in her kitchen, but it was a nice temporary change. She knew that the cats were in good hands with her neighbors and in a week she would be able see her beloved pets again.

With a glass in each hand she walked back to the living room and handed the other women their drinks. She sat down next to Floor and wanted to ask Merel about her travel, but noticed she was focused on the ongoing TV show. Charlotte tried to do the same, but after 10 minutes she decided it was a lost cause. She was tired and the show really didn’t interest her.

‘Maybe we should go to bed, we have to get up early tomorrow.’

Merel and Floor both nodded and emptied their glasses before following Charlotte upstairs. The redhead wished Merel a goodnight before heading towards her own bedroom, giving Floor an angry look once they were both inside.

‘What?’

‘Really? You have to ask “what”?’ Charlotte asked. ‘Why are you so rude?’

‘You don’t want Merel to find out we’re dating.’

‘If you keep acting like this there won’t be anything for her to find out. You have to act normal, not rude. Go apologize to her.’

‘Now?’ Floor asked with a risen eyebrow.

‘Yes, now. Go.’

Charlotte watched her girlfriend leaving and started undressing as soon as the door fell closed. She listened to the voices in the hallway as she put on her pajamas and crawled into bed, waiting for Floor to return. She frowned as the door opened and Floor entering with her lower lip caught between her teeth.

‘What happened?’

‘I forgot to knock.’ Floor answered. ‘She was naked, but she accepted the apology.’

Charlotte sighed and let herself fall down on the bed. She wasn’t surprised, it was just so typical for Floor to forget about something as simple as knocking on a door. A light kiss was placed on her cheek as she closed her eyes and she smiled. Floor might forget about her pants or knocking a door, but she never forgot good night kisses.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by unchaintheescapist

It would be quite the shame to wake her, Sharon mused while she gazed upon the woman sleeping on her bed, eyebrows scrunching up from time to time as muffled snores barely made it past the pillow her face was buried in.

And the fact that Tarja was naked made her pause even more. Red lines lined her back and shoulders, her ass still red from the spanking she had received the night earlier. Definitely one of Sharon’s finer work. And also one that she never wanted to forget.

Sitting down on the mattress, the brunette carefully placed her hand on Tarja’s back and traced her vertebrae, silently counting the dumps and valleys she knew so well.

It was just sex. That’s what they had agreed on a year earlier. But somehow it had developed to something much more for Sharon. Something much more precious than the friendship they already shared. But just like in some of the stupid romantic movies they had watched together, Sharon was afraid of telling the truth about what she felt, having being rejected too many times throughout her life by both parents and siblings. So instead she opted for subtle hints when they were together, loving touches or light kisses in places that often left Tarja breathless.

“Morning” came from the mouth hidden in the pillow with a cat like stretch soon following.

To say that Tarja wasn’t the sharpest tool in the toolbox would be an understatement.

“Hey”

The kiss that Tarja planted on her lips was a welcome one, Sharon toes curling slightly while her chest filled with warmth.

“Were you watching me while I slept?”

Blushing, Sharon pushed Tarja away and stood up. This wasn’t the time for her to give away hints, not when they were supposed to spend a couple of days in a remote cottage with a couple of their friends. Charlotte and Floor knew that they were sleeping together, although a bit concerned that Tarja would break Sharon’s heart at some point.

Oh if they only knew.

“Definitely not. I decided between if I should pour water on you or shove you down onto the floor.”

Smirking, Tarja slowly stood up and sauntered towards the brunette, hair tousled and the haze of sleep still floating around in her emerald orbs. Sharon had to bite her lip in order not to look down at her still very naked body. Otherwise they would never leave the house.

“We’ll be late.”

“Floor can wait.”

Cupping her cheek, Tarja drew Sharon in in yet another kiss, this one deeper and more urgent, and the intentions clear with every swipe of a tongue. And that’s what kept Sharon hoping, those tender touches and moments when Tarja made her feel like she was the only thing in the world who mattered. But they were all but fleeting during sex.

Yelping as a hand came down on her already sore backside, Tarja quickly backed away from the nimble hand and hissed at the pain radiating from her ass.

“Fuck! Me! That really hurt!”

“That wasn’t what you told me last night.” Sharon replied in huskily manner, arousal flooding her veins, as well as the not so welcome feelings of great care and a bit of love. The latter confusing her to no end.

It was just sex after all.

“Pack the rest of your things and meet me in the kitchen. I’ve made breakfast.”

Mumbling something that Sharon recognized to be Finnish curse words, Tarja grabbed the clothes she was going to wear for the day and disappeared through the bathroom door, leaving Sharon standing with her toes curled into the bedroom carpet. It would be so easy to follow her, so easy to say what she felt. But Tarja wasn’t known for settling down, wasn’t known for having a relationship for longer than three months, always bragging about the ladies that warmed her sheets.

And it made Sharon feeling like an idiot for even thinking about the possibility that Tarja could commit.

Maybe this journey would do her some good, maybe it would make things a bit clearer. Or it would blow up in her face.

————

_I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones  
Enough to make my system blow  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive_

“Tarja, could you pl-“

“No, I love this song!”

With the car parked on Charlotte’s drive way, Tarja still continued to flail her arms along to the beat of the song while singing along, having done that during the entire trip to the redhead’s home. This type of song really didn’t fit her operatic vocals.

“You know I love your cover, but this is great too!”

Mentally trying to will away the small twitch in her heart at Tarja’s compliment, Sharon turned off the car and successfully silencing the radio, eliciting a string of protests from the other woman.

“Hey, I was listening to that!”

Opening the car door, Sharon stepped out before leaning onto the vehicle and meeting Tarja’s pout and over-exaggerated puppy look.

She was too cute for her own good.

“Let me remind you that we’re late. I don’t know about you, but I hate the wrath of Metal Xena.”

Wiggling her eyebrows, Tarja leaned her elbow against the car seat and put her head against her palm, raking her eyes up and down Sharon’s body.

An incredibly cute puppy with an immense sexdrive indeed.

Sighing, Sharon forcefully closed the door and started walking, smirking slightly as she heard Tarja follow.

“You’re no fun.” Tarja mumbled in her ear, making Sharon snort while she knocked on the door, the dents in the wood distracting her.

Just friends. 


	3. Chapter 3

A relieved shout sounded through the woods, making a few birds around them fly up. One by one the woman crawled out of the car and almost everyone laughed as they saw Merel kneeling and stating how happy she was to finally arrive. _Almost_ everyone, since Floor only grimaced as she stretched her aching legs.

‘You have nothing to complain about.’ She mumbled while massaging her calves. ‘You are only half our size and you didn’t have to drive.’

Charlotte knew what her girlfriend was talking about. She herself had also been behind the steering wheel for nearly three hours and her knees hurt from sitting in the same position almost the entire day. But it still wasn’t a reason to act like this.

‘Come on, we’re not here to fight.’ Charlotte said as she placed her hand on Floor’s shoulder. ‘We’re here to have fun, so let’s bring our bags to the rooms and go into the city to find some dinner.’

‘Good.’ Floor said as she stood, her knees cracking at the movement. ‘I’m sleeping with you, I don’t want to be stuck with one of the rabbits.’

‘Oh…’ Charlotte looked up and frowned as she saw the disappointed look on Merel’s face. What was there to be sad about? They only just arrived at the cottage, nothing could possibly be wrong. ‘I was hoping to share a room with Charlotte, you know, since we’re in the same band and at least I know her…’

‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ Charlotte apologized. ‘Floor and I always share a room when we do these kind of trips, to catch up you know? But you can have your own room, then you don’t have to share with Sharon or Tarja and watch them do their thing.’

‘Eh, okay, I guess.’

Charlotte smiled and tried to ignore the look on Merel’s face, but she still felt the guitarist’s gaze on her back as they entered the house. She followed Floor upstairs and they immediately claimed the same room they had used the last time they were here. But back then they had just been friends.

Charlotte closed the door behind her and let out a surprised laugh as she was pushed against the wood. Floor’s blue eyes smiled at her before their lips found each other and a warm feeling spread through Charlotte’s body.

‘I missed this.’

‘Me too.’ Charlotte breathed as Floor pulled back. ‘But I think we need to be careful. Did you see how Merel looked at us?’

‘I did, but what else do you want to do? We barely even touched each other today and she still seems to suspect something. Just let it go.’

‘I could flirt with her.’

‘Excuse me, what?’

‘Flirt.’ Charlotte repeated. ‘If Merel sees one of us flirting with someone else, there’s no reason for her anymore to think we’re dating. She’s the closest one age wise and let’s be honest, you are terrible at flirting.’

‘Hey!’

‘Sweetie, your motivation for asking me out the first time was because we have the same kind of nose piercing…’

‘Right… you should do the flirting.’

‘You have nothing to worry about.’ Charlotte laughed as she swung her arms around Floor’s neck. ‘I only love you, and your non-existing flirting skills.’

Another laugh sounded as Floor stuck out her tongue before the redhead kissed her again. They got interrupted by Tarja’s voice, shouting that everyone got exactly 2 minutes and 36 seconds to get downstairs or the Sharon-wagon was leaving without them.

The restaurant that was chosen was a cozy Italian place. The colors red and green decorated the table, the turntable next to the bar played some stereotypical Italian music and the air smelled like pizza. Charlotte simply loved this place, loved how everything was so typical that it never failed to make her smile. Maybe it were the memories of Tarja’s attempt to speak Italian, maybe it was the statue of the mafia figures next to the door, but this place would always make her smile.

Or maybe it was Floor’s face as she studied the menu and decided which unknown dish she would try today. Charlotte had to bite her lip and remind herself that right now was not a moment to think about her girlfriend’s hidden cuteness, there was another cute girl to focus on. Her heart might only beat for Floor, no one could deny that Merel was incredibly cute.

Charlotte kept her eyes on the menu as she let her hand lightly rest on Merel’s knee, as if she hadn’t already decided she wanted the Pappardelle all’ aragosta and had no control over her hand. She felt how the girl next to her flinched for a second but Charlotte simply smiled as if nothing was going on. The poor guitarist was still too surprised to speak as a waiter asked her what she wanted to eat, resulting in Charlotte having to order for her, lightly squeezing her knee the entire time. Just to let her know it was okay.

‘I need to pee!’ Merel almost shouted as she jumped up from the table, Charlotte’s hand slipping off her knee in the process. Her voice was lightly shaking and everyone frowned at her, Charlotte simply smiling the entire time.

‘Me too, I’ll join you.’

The redhead had to fight back a smirk as she could almost hear Merel gulp. She felt bad for her guitarist, it wasn’t her goal to make her uncomfortable. She just had to make sure her relationship with Floor was safe. It only took the young musician a few seconds to reach the safety of the ladies’ room and Charlotte used those seconds to stare at her behind before following her. She found Merel looking into the mirror but fleeing towards a cabin as soon as the redhead entered.

‘Merel, are you okay?’

‘Eh, yeah, no problem. Just a little… nervous.’ The fake smile on the girl’s face made Charlotte feel guilty. ‘About Sharon and Tarja, I mean. I-I don’t really know them and they seem so… touchy.’

‘Oh, but we’re all very touchy.’ Charlotte smiled and placed her hand on the girl’s arm to prove her point. ‘But pay Sharon and Tarja no mind, they always take things to another level. You just have to tell them if the touching gets too much for you, even though you can’t really blame them.’

With a wink Charlotte disappeared into one of the cabins. She wasn’t surprised when she found the ladies’ room empty a few minutes later and returned to the table with a smile. Her hand returned to its spot on Merel’s knee, causing the girl to flinch once again. Internally, she was dying from laughter.

Merel was in a light shock, Floor’s eyes held a hint of jealousy and Tarja seemed unable to keep her hands off Sharon, again. Oh yes, this definitely was going to be one more dinner at the Italian place that Charlotte would never forget.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by unchaintheescapist

The all-around mood throughout the house that morning had been tense. Correction, it had been incredibly high-strung. Floor had been stomping around in the living room all morning and nearly wearing a hole in the carpet. Come to think of it, it had already started the evening before at the restaurant they all had been eating at. They always visited the Italian restaurant the first night they spent at the cabin, but the usual coziness and easiness didn’t seem to settle between them. At first Sharon thought that it was because of the new addition of Merel, but it became quite clear that it stemmed from both Charlotte and Floor. The tall brunette’s leg had been bouncing impatiently under the table throughout most of the night, especially when she caught sight of Charlotte being particularly chummy with Merel.

And Tarja had just been… Tarja. Sharon had even ordered them a dessert to share together, but it had ended up with Tarja hogging the spoon and shoving most of the sugary goodness inside her own mouth. Shamelessly flirting with Sharon the entire time. Oh the romantic setting Sharon had tried to create evaporated the second that ice-cream started to trickle down Tarja’s chin.

“You ready to head out?” Charlotte exclaimed while popping her head inside the living room, Floor’s insistent pacing stopping completely.

They had all agreed on going on a hike for the day to show Merel the surroundings, and also to soak in the nature before they all went back to the city. Their hiking boots were waiting in the hallway, along with lunchboxes packed securely into backpacks. Merel and Tarja were just finishing up washing the dishes from the breakfast they all had shared just a moment ago while Sharon and Floor had been occupying the living room and gathering strength for the day ahead. 

“Let’s do this then.” Floor spoke in a low tone as she breezed past a clearly stunned redhead, not even making eye contact as she made her way towards the hallway.

Yeah, tense indeed. Normally the two friends exchanged bright smiles when greeting one another, so seeing Floor giving Charlotte the cold shoulder had Sharon’s stomach turning into knots. Standing up, Sharon made her way towards the other woman.

“Hey, what’s going on with you two?”

Brown meeting green in a haze of hurt and confusion, a loud exhale fell from Charlotte’s lips and seemed to mask the feelings swirling in her eyes.

“It’s nothing. Let’s just go on the hike, okay?”

Disappearing from her line of sight, Sharon heard how Charlotte disappeared through the front door and slammed it shut.

———— 

“Fuck these birds, am I right?!” 

The words, followed by a melodic laugh, pulled Sharon out of her deep thoughts and made her focus on the person walking next to her. Tarja’s steps were steady across the moss and fallen logs, her eyes scanning the trees and making a mental map of the area. Even though the metal ladies had followed the exact same path around the woods for the past couple of years, the Finn still treated it like it was new and undiscovered. Tarja seemed right at home in the woods, her stories about growing up surrounded by the dense forests of Finland always managing to pull small sounds of awe from Sharon’s mouth. Tales of a young brunette believing in fairies and gnomes, in trolls and mermaids.

“I mean not fuck them as in the actual… fucking. That would just be weird.”

Laughing at the silly attempt to make her feel better, Sharon fumbled around with her hand until she found Tarja’s own, carefully lacing their fingers together. Those bubbly butterflies were back in full force as Tarja squeezed the digits, the footsteps of the other three women becoming more distant. The forest was living and breathing around them, the crunching of their boots and the small breeze rustling the leaves lulling Sharon into a state of comfort. It was so unlike the previous years “ _I’ll race you to the top!”_ type of mentality.

Turning her head, Sharon saw Tarja looking at her with a small glint in her eyes, if it was one of affection or amusement she couldn’t decipher. Tarja was no longer scanning the trees, instead her eyes travelled over Sharon’s slightly flushed face, seemingly looking for something while it looked like gears were turning in her head.

Sharon’s heart beat faster and faster while her insides screamed at her. Could Tarja see what she felt for her just by looking into her eyes? Could she see the love and care she held for her?

While her heart pounded away in her chest, Sharon slowly started to lean in towards the other woman, all thoughts about keeping their relationship at a friendship level flying out of the window. It was just about the two of them, no bands, no tours, only memories of stories and hands caressing bodies and minds. The goofiness and easiness Sharon had fallen in love with was right beside her, whispers after lovemaking and movie nights swirling together and robbing the very air from her lungs.

Breaths started mingling, shoulders touching, Sharon pulled to a stop and closed her ey-

“BEE!”

The shriek coming from Tarja’s mouth was followed by a flurry of movements, the most noticeable one being the slip of her right foot on the moss, black hair ending up covering Tarja’s face with her butt hitting the forest floor, all the while her hands tried frantically to swat away the insect.

The laugh started to rumble inside her chest and was out of her mouth before Sharon could stop herself, the sight and the seriousness of the events previously taking place becoming too much. It was just so surreal.

“Are you okay?!”

Sharon hadn’t even heard Charlotte approaching between her fits of laughter, the redhead bending down to help Tarja up from the ground.

“Yeah I’m… CAN YOU PLEASE STOP LAUGHING?!”

But Sharon couldn’t, couldn’t stop laughing at the fact that Tarja had looked to be so close to figuring it all out. So close to easing the tightness in her chest. It became too much, the hatred for her own cowardness growing.

Wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, Sharon turned her head and noticed how both Floor and Merel had joined Charlotte’s side, the redhead brushing off dirt sticking to Tarja’s pants. Merel still hadn’t said much to anyone except Charlotte, the woman looking a bit uneasy while being in the company of anyone other than Charlotte. But the look in Floor’s eyes was far from uneasy, instead it spoke volumes of knowing.

Had she picked up on what had transpired between Sharon’s and Tarja’s earlier?

————

Turned out that nothing had changed.

Once back at the cabin, the sour mood continued. After having pizza for dinner one would think that they would all be passing out happily on the couch and the living room rug, but that was not the case.

With Tarja’s head perched on her lap, Sharon gently massaged the brunette’s shoulder and neck while Tarja was busy sexting one of her “bed warmers”. The more explicit the conversation got, the shakier Sharon’s hands became.

“Hey, we should totally do this!” Tarja exclaimed while shoving her phone in Sharon’s face.

“Pfffttt, you wish!”

Not only was the position ridiculous, but Sharon really didn’t feel like having sex tonight. She just wanted to sleep and forget that this day ever happened. Or a hammer to smash some sense into Tarja’s head. Anything to get her attention.

_Anything_

Charlotte had upped her flirting game with Merel, the women sitting next to each other on the rug in front of the fireplace, the redhead unable to keep her hands off the other woman’s thigh while they spoke quietly to one another and giggling every now and then. It seemed a bit out of character for Charlotte to be hitting on someone so strongly, especially since she hadn’t mentioned that she and Merel were close to becoming a thing. But hey, people change. Except for the murderous look Floor had been sporting all day, jaw tight and teeth grinding together. Floor may look like a badass, but all the residents in the room knew that Floor was actually a giant teddy-bear.

A very pissed off looking ball of fluff. Who looked to be needing something or someone to distract her. And Sharon who could us-

_Wait_

“So, Floor… I like your butt, can I… wear it as a hat?”

The silence in the room was deafening while four pairs of eyes turned towards Sharon. Straightening in her seat, she tried her best to will away a blush and the embarrassment from her suddenly blurting out the worst pick-up line in existence.

The singer had a plan. And with that came flirting, and in the end, hopefully some jealousy from Tarja’s side.

“Ehm, excuse me?”

Moving out from beneath Tarja’s head, Sharon made her way towards the armchair Floor was seated in. Sitting down on one of the armrests, the brunette crossed her legs and tried to subtly lean in towards the taller woman, their shoulders barely touching.

“Indeed. I would love to see it on full display someday.” 

Her heart was screaming at her to stop this madness, but Sharon was determined. She knew that she was being selfish, but the fear of a possible rejection from Tarja’s side was tearing her apart. And hopefully, Floor wouldn’t be too upset with her for using her. She knew that Floor could spot bullshit from miles away.

While her inner turmoil kept gnawing at her, Sharon completely missed the looks between Floor and Charlotte, the redhead nearly stomping her foot while not so subtly using her head to point in Sharon’s direction. And also the more important one belonging to Tarja, her entire face speaking of nothing but confusion.

“Ssssure, yes. Sounds good.” Floor finally managed to produce before cleaning her throat, her left hand shakily being placed on Sharon’s knee and squeezing it awkwardly.

A few seconds passed before Charlotte rose from the carpet.

“Come Merel, let’s leave these two lovebirds alone.”

Watching as the two women left in the corner of her eye, Sharon put her right arm across the top of the backrest, twirling some of Floor’s long, brown hair between her fingers.

“So, what do you want to do now?”

A loud squeak of the springs in the couch was heard right before Tarja passed by the duo.

“Long day, need some sleep. Good night!”

The door to their joined bedroom slammed shut, the room close enough to the living room that Sharon could hear Finnish swearwords and several loud thuds.

Not letting the sounds distract her from her goal, Sharon got up from the armrest and sat down on Floor’s lap, the brunette confused as to why Floor would let it get this far.

“Sooo, umh…”

“Yeah”

Staring at each other for what felt like an eternity, Sharon could feel how her courage slipped and swiftly removed her hand from Floor’s hair.

“That’s… good night. Take care of that ass, for one day I’m going to mow it!”

Leaving the other woman completely stunned, Sharon cringed at the sheer stupidity of what she had just said and all she wanted to do was to hide beneath the sheets on her bed.

She had set things in motion today and hopefully they would all turn out well in the end.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a surprise to Charlotte to find her girlfriend next to her when she woke up. After she’d said goodnight to Merel, Charlotte had waited for almost half an hour before eventually falling asleep. She couldn’t remember Floor coming to bed and being pulled into her arms, but she wasn’t complaining. Waking up in Floor’s strong arms was one of the best feelings she had discovered on this planet so far.

For as long as possible, Charlotte enjoyed the feeling before her bladder started protesting. Carefully, she crawled out of Floor’s arms and tiptoed to the bathroom. Usually Charlotte was the first one to wake up so she was surprised when she heard the television playing downstairs. It was impossible that Tarja was already awake and since Floor also was still sleeping it had to be either Merel or Sharon. Charlotte concluded it had to be the latter one who was already watching television. She had noticed that Sharon had been less excited about everything in the last couple of days, and it could perfectly be explained by some sleepless nights.

When Charlotte entered the living room however, she was met by Merel’s bright smile. Several colorful creatures danced and sang a song about friendship across the TV screen, but they were silenced as Merel turned it off.

‘Hey!’ The guitarist smiled as Charlotte sat down next to her.

‘Why are you awake already?’

‘Because I was hungry.’ Merel sheepishly smiled. ‘But I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to eat already or if I should wait for everyone to get up.’

‘I usually prepare breakfast and then I wake everyone up. We can do it together if you want?’

‘Oh, no, we don’t have to wake everyone up.’

‘I thought you were hungry?’ Charlotte asked as she rested her hand on Merel’s thigh once again.

She smiled as she saw the guitarist’s reaction to the touch. She’d been flirting with the young girl all trip long, but Merel still seemed to be surprised when the redhead touched her thigh. The smile that had been nervous at first now seemed to be genuine, and Charlotte was glad about that. She wanted Merel to feel comfortable in the group.

‘I… am hungry, indeed. Okay, let’s make breakfast.’

Charlotte smiled as she squeezed Merel’s thigh before getting up again. The guitarist followed her to the kitchen and the redhead could just _feel_ her blue eyes on her behind. It was a good thing that Floor wasn’t around to see it. Charlotte was very aware that the flirting with Merel was slowly killing her girlfriend on the inside and that it woke up an untamable fire within her. Usually she found Floor’s jealousy endearing, but she was secretly sorry for doing this to her.

‘So, where do we start?’

‘The coffee machine and I have fought a war that I won in the end, so I think it’s best if I make the coffee and you set the table.’ Charlotte said as they entered the kitchen. ‘Plates and mugs are next to the fridge.’

The war with the coffee machine started once again. Luckily the machine surrendered quickly and allowed the singer to make coffee for everyone. With a loud noise Devil –that was the nickname Charlotte had picked for the machine– came to life and started turning the water into the Drink From Heaven. Charlotte smiled as she turned around again, and her smile grew even wider as she noticed her bandmate. Merel stood on her toes, one hand on the counter to keep her balance, the other one reaching for the mugs and failing miserably.

‘Oh, are you too short? Let me help you.’

Charlotte let her hand rest in the small of the guitarist’s back as she reached inside the cupboard. She easily grabbed a few mugs and placed them on the table before returning to the cupboard to repeat the action. Merel settled herself on the counter, swinging her legs as she watched Charlotte doing all the work. It was an adorable sight.

The first noises from the downstairs bedroom sounded and Charlotte realized that this was her chance if she wanted to flirt with Merel some more without hurting Floor. Her heart beat slightly faster as she approached the guitarist again and stood in front of her. She was trapped now, sitting on the kitchen counter with nowhere else to go. And Charlotte knew exactly how she was going to do that. One of her hands found its spot on Merel’s thigh again, the other rested on the girl’s hip and her eyes were settled on Merel’s lips before she lightly kissed them.

Merel froze under the touch, but kissed back eventually. It was right then that Charlotte realized what she was doing. Merel’s lips kissed so differently than Floor’s. They were smaller, insecure, tasted differently and seemed to have no effect on her heart. Whenever Floor kissed her she felt emotions that were still unknown to humankind. A feeling that could not be described in any language other than the one of love. Now she felt absolutely nothing.

Charlotte pulled back as the coffee machine announced it had done its job. Confusion was written all over Merel’s face but there was no time for explanation. The cracking sound of the a door opening rang out and the singer knew there were only 13 seconds left until Sharon would enter the kitchen.

‘I’ll wake Floor up, you can ask Sharon to wake Tarja or just do it yourself.’

Without another word Charlotte turned around again and left the kitchen, wishing Sharon a good morning on her way to the stairs. The singer tried to erase the emotionless kiss out of her mind to prepare herself to kiss her girlfriend awake, but nothing could prepare her for the sight that waited behind the door.

Floor was just wearing a shirt and her panties, the visible nipples revealing that there was no bra involved. Her head was resting on her hand, her long bare legs were crossed as a grin began crawling on her lips while Charlotte entered.

‘What’s this?’ Charlotte laughed.

‘Come here and kiss me like one of your Dutch girls.’

Charlotte shook her head in disbelieve as she walked over to the bed. The stupidity of her girlfriend was forgotten as soon as their lips found each other and the redhead sighed happily. The butterflies in her stomach were wide awake, her heart was beating faster and an invisible force kept pulling the corners of her lips up. This was what a kiss was supposed to feel like. Unexplainable, like love.

‘First of all,’ the redhead said as she pulled back ‘it’s “ _draw_ me like one of your _French_ girls.” Secondly, when did you come to bed last night?’

‘Somewhere around midnight, I guess. I think Sharon was trying to flirt with me and I needed a few drinks after that.’

‘Yeah, I noticed that. Did something happen after we left?’

‘She sat on my lap and when Tarja went to bed she seemed to realize how weird she was acting and also went to sleep. I think something is going on between them.’

‘Come on Floor, _everyone_ knows they’re sleeping together.’ Charlotte said while rolling her eyes.

‘That’s not what I meant. You know Sharon isn’t a person who just sleeps around, something is wrong.’

‘Or maybe she just wants to have a threesome.’ Charlotte joked. ‘Anyway, if you want to know what’s going on you’ll have to flirt back. She’ll probably open up to you then.’

‘Are you, my girlfriend, telling me to flirt with Sharon, who’s not my girlfriend?’

‘I am indeed, and I’m also telling you to get your ass out of bed and come downstairs. The coffee is getting cold.’

‘Pff, my ass is hotter than the coffee anyway.’

Charlotte knew her girlfriend was right, but that didn’t stop her from just leaving the room without Floor. Eventually it took the women almost 10 minutes to gather in the kitchen, which was way too long for Merel’s impatient stomach. She went through her entire breakfast without saying a single word and seemed to avoid making eye contact with Charlotte as much as possible. The redhead didn’t couldn’t care less. She was too busy with biting her tongue as she watched both Sharon and Floor trying to flirt with each other by just looking at each other. Sometimes with a risen eyebrow and every now and then a tongue was visible. There were attempts at seductive smiles, but it wasn’t more than that. Just attempts.

‘You know what I’ve been thinking?’ Tarja suddenly asked.

‘Sex.’

‘That too.’ She answered Sharon. ‘But since it’s raining anyway, let’s stay here today and play games. I can’t wait to be crowned to Maria Kart Queen again.’

‘Excuse me, Maria Kart Queen?’

‘It’s like Mario Kart, but for feminists.’ Charlotte explained to Merel. ‘But yes, staying in all day sounds like a lovely idea.’

Once again the redhead had to bite her lip. She made sure she looked Merel right in the eye as she said the last words with a smile, and at the same time she let her and rest on Floor’s thigh under the table and making her gasp. The guitarist lightly blushed before looking down at her plate again. Charlotte knew she was really going to enjoy this day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by unchaintheescapist

“Ice-cream scoop… rubber bands… 15 euros worth of coins… label mak- WHY DO WE HAVE A LABEL MAKER IN THE KITCHEN DRAWER?!” Floor shouted while the sound of her rummaging through the drawers reached the women in the next room, Merel and Sharon busy with moving the armchair and couch out of the way so they could unfold the Twister mat and put it on the floor.

“Remember the summer of 2010? When Charlotte had a fit over us helping her in the kitchen, messing up the containers and putting them in the wrong places in the fridge? And then she stormed out of the house and came back with a label maker, slamming her fingers down on the keys while she made the labels? Putting them in every corner of the fridge and freezer, the cupboards, and even sticking them to our foreheads with the word _Idiot_ in capital letters?”

Entering the living room at the end of Tarja’s retelling with a blush that put the color of a tomato to shame, Charlotte placed the soda cans and bottles she had been carrying on the counter below the archway separating the kitchen from the living room.

“Now that you mention it… I don’t think I’ve ever seen Charlotte that pissed before…” Floor added, placing the bottle opener she had been looking for next to the bottles on the counter. The brunette’s and the redhead’s eyes met, something passing between them that Sharon couldn’t interpret. Not that she cared much anyway, not when Tarja was bending down to unfold the Twister mat, her ass looking particularly squeezable in the short jeans shorts she wore and driving Sharon completely insane.

“Orgy time, ladies! Don’t apologize for accidentally rubbing things in my face.”

“Prepare your face for my foot then.” Floor said while casually walking past a pouting Tarja, the friendly jab lifting the general mood in the room.

Gathering around the mat, and after deciding that Merel would be the one to spin the arrow on the board, the game was on.

“Right hand blue.”

Twister was a regular occurrence at the cabin and was approached differently by each woman. Charlotte and Tarja always tried to outdo themselves when it came to their flexibility, trying to make the game more complicated than it needed to be, Sharon huffing and puffing through the whole thing, and Floor-

“Remember, if you fall, I’ll be there.”

Yes, Floor had to make that comment every single time they played this game, usually followed by pained groans from the other women due to the sheer ridiculousness. On the other hand, she was usually the one to lose first, but it didn’t seem to bother the tall brunette as long as she could say her catchphrase. 

“Left foot yellow.”

After spending the night before and morning trying to flirt with Floor, it felt more awkward than usual to be almost resting her head on her hip. Stupid game. Sharon was well prepared with bad pick-up lines after googling on them right after waking up that morning. This one would be impossible for Tarja to ignore.

“Is there a magnet in your pants?” Sharon said while trying her hardest not to cringe, booping her nose against Floor’s butt cheek.

“Why?”

“Cause I’m attracted to your buns of steel!”

And for one of the women, that pick-up line became too much. Pig like grunts accompanied by a loud laugh had Tarja doubling over, her hands and feet leaving the mat.

“Oh my god Sharon, what the fuck was that?! That was awesome!”

“That’s…just… oh shut up, scheetje!”

Quiet giggles came from both Merel and Charlotte, Floor looking more uncomfortable by the second while she discretely tried to move her ass away from Sharon’s face.

“Tarja, are you in or…”

“Screw that, I can barely breathe!” the woman exclaimed in a breathless manner while she grabbed the board and sat down cross-legged next to the mat, a frown soon taking over her brow.

“Wait, what does sch- nah don’t care, I’ll handle this. Right foot green”

Perfect nickname for the perfect person. No, definitely not perfect. Just a fart. A tiny fart. Yeah, she would keep it. Maybe try to annoy Tarja with the name until she cracked. But cracking from such an easy thing as humor wasn’t the objective. And just flirting with Floor didn’t seem to be working.

Sharon needed to get handsy yet again. 

Putting her foot on the green dot and nearly colliding with one of Merel’s, Sharon couldn’t ignore the “subtle” way Charlotte twisted her body around so that her chest was at the same level as Merel’s face.

Seriously… were they a thing now?

————

Soda, Mario Kart with two controls, and a still celebrating Floor.

Yes, the close to non-bendable giant had won. Only because Tarja had started singing The Booty Song every time the women moved, causing Sharon to go completely bananas and pouncing on her to get her to stop. And Merel, completely unprepared and scared shitless from Sharon’s sudden attack, had knocked Charlotte over during her moment of shock.

Leaving a very steady brunette on the mat.

“Floor, please.” Charlotte pleaded with the brunette after watching her do her victory dance for the sixth time, the tall woman’s shoulders moving from side to side while she snapped her thumb and middle finger together.

“Oh come on sweetie, just let me have this.”

_Wait, swee-_

“I mean…“ Floor blurted out in near panic while she quickly put her arm around Sharon’s shoulders, squeezing her a bit too forcefully and gaining the attention of one of the women currently playing Mario Kart.

Tarja looked like she wanted to chop Floor’s arm off.

“…this sweetie right here, yeah. Did you see how awesome I was out there?”

Tearing her eyes away from Tarja’s, Sharon leaned into the brunette and put her head on her shoulder.

“Of course I did. And I’m so proud of you.”

The words were coated in honey, but tasted so bitter that it nearly made Sharon cringe. But they had the desired effect. Tarja’s eyes were back on the TV screen, although her mind didn’t seem to be present. Merel’s Peach went past Tarja’s Yoshi easily. Bowser slammed into her from the side, Yoshi’s green car flying off Rainbow Road.

“Your crown seems to be slipping from your head.” Charlotte said before taking a swig from her soda bottle.

“Just a bit rusty.”

Ending the first lap in 10th place, Sharon watched as Tarja’s tongue started poking out from the side of her mouth while she leaned forward onto her knees. She looked more than ready to kick some butt.

“I’m gonna get you.”

Looking mildly terrified at the threatening tone, Merel completely missed the banana peel blocking the way and skittered to a halt, Tarja sounding more pleased than ever.

“Shit!”

“Do you play video games, Merel?” Sharon asked while carefully placing her hand on Floor’s thigh, the temperature in the room seemingly dropping by several degrees.

“Just some flash games. Nothing too advanced.” the woman replied while she maneuvered her way into 1st place. And Tarja… falling off the road. Again. Right before the 2nd lap ended. A pouting Tarja was quite an adorable sight. But not adorable enough to make Sharon stop with her teasing. Noticing that Floor’s nipples were visible through the shirt she wore, Sharon picked the next pick-up line from the vast library in her head.

“Are those tic-tacs in your shirt or are you just happy to see me?”

That one pained Sharon’s very soul to say. She really needed to wash her mouth and bleach her brain after this. And Floor looked like she wanted to do the same.

“That’s nice.” Tarja mumbled while her body looked like to be more tightly strung than a bow string. A green shell hit her car, the grip so tight on the controller that Tarja’s knuckles turned white.

“You might as well abdicate, scheetje”

“I’m not- HELVETIN VITTU PERKELE!”

That was the warning Merel got before Tarja rose from the ground, her body prepared for murder. The smaller woman gave off a squeak of surprise before she too got up and ran, heavy footsteps echoing through the house prior to a door slamming shut.

Yoshi was in last place with his car standing completely still. The air of winning surrounded the other characters in the game.

And Sharon wondered how long it would take for her to feel the same. 


	7. Chapter 7

Charlotte just loved under-water sounds. Ever since she was a child she would cover her ears with her hands to simulate the distorted sounds. She could hear her own blood running through her veins, noises that normally weren’t recognizable. It was as if she listened to a language she didn’t understand, an unknown world, and it fascinated her. But nothing was comparable to actually listening to what happened under water.

Charlotte could hear the movements the other women made. She could hear the water moving and the blood rushing in her head. She heard happy laughs and talking without understanding what was being said, but she clearly heard Tarja’s shout.

‘I feel like a water pokémon!’

Once again laughter sounded and Charlotte was unable to continue laying still in the water. She lifted her head and placed her feet on the ground as she too laughed at the stupid joke, smiling as she noticed how close she stood to Floor. Her girlfriend’s beautiful naked skin was so close and her hands were itching to touch it for just a second, but she knew she couldn’t. Just a few more days, and then Floor would be all hers again.

For now, looking at Merel’s skin would have to do. The guitarist sat on a towel next to the lake, enjoying the sun that had replaced the rainclouds from the previous day. Charlotte could already imagine what her own face would look like the next day. Freckles would cover almost her entire face and shoulders and Floor would take the challenge to count and kiss them all. Merel didn’t have to worry about that. There was not a single freckle on her body and Charlotte wondered if the girl was even able to tan.

‘Merel, come join us!’ Tarja suddenly shouted. ‘You’re going to dry out. The wetter the better!’

Charlotte could almost hear Sharon’s eye roll, but Floor moved before anyone could comment. Confidently she made her way towards the young guitarist. Merel looked at her with a frown and let out a scream as Floor grabbed her arm. With a simple movement Merel was lifted into the air and carried into the water while she kept fighting to get free. Sharon and Tarja laughed at the scene, but Charlotte only had eye for the muscles of her girlfriend.

Another scream sounded as Floor let go of Merel and she fell into the water. The scream was followed by a series of loud curses and laughs from the others. Charlotte only smiled before she swam towards the girl.

‘You make a lot of noise for such a little girl.’ The redhead smiled before wrapping her arms around Merel’s waist. ‘Come here, I’ll protect you from Metal Xena.’

Merel returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around Charlotte’s body and standing on her toes. A light kiss was placed on the corner of her lips while alarms went off in the redhead’s mind. Charlotte’s eyes immediately travelled to Floor who seemed anything but happy. She could see how the muscles she had just been admiring were clenching, how Floor did her best to stay calm and eventually turning her back to them. Floor easily wrapped her arm around Sharon’s shoulders, whispered something in her ear, and then made her way towards the cabin again. Now Charlotte knew exactly knew how her girlfriend must feel.

‘When are you going to quit that act with Floor?’ Tarja asked as she saw the way Sharon looked at Floor’s ass. ‘She’s just sex on very long legs.’

‘If there’s anyone who’s just sex on legs, it’s you Tarja.’

‘I thought I was a scheetje?’

‘That too.’ Sharon said. ‘Anyway, I’m going to join Floor, I’m hungry.’

‘Are you going to eat out together?’

‘No, we’ll eat sandwiches, with peanutbutter unfortunately since _someone_ ate all the Nutella yesterday.’

Something wasn’t right. Sharon and Tarja were best friends, even with benefits, but something had definitely changed between them. Charlotte had known Sharon for a long time now, way longer than any other of the women. Sharon was a person who fell in love. If she cared deeply about someone she would care about them for the rest of her life. But for some reason, she suddenly seemed to care more about Floor than about Tarja. Something definitely was wrong with Sharon and the one person who probably was the cause of it didn’t seem to notice it.

Tarja just grinned and let herself fall backwards into the water again. She groaned as one of her breasts escaped her bikini top and Charlotte could feel the girl in her arms tense up at what happened next. Tarja unclasped the top and tied it to her bikini bottom before lying down again, her boobs sticking out of the water.

‘What… is she doing?’

‘The top was annoying me.’ Tarja mumbled. ‘You should do the same, release the boobies!’

‘She’s right.’ Charlotte smiled, receiving a strange look from Merel. ‘The tops are annoying, we’re all women, why not?’

She was already untying the knot on her back as she said the words. Charlotte also tied the piece of clothing on her bikini bottom and she grinned as she looked up again. Merel was staring at her breasts. Or doing her best not to.

‘I had no idea you had a nipple piercing.’ Merel said surprised.

‘Oh, believe me, there’s a lot you don’t know about me. Come on it’s your turn, release those boobies.’

Charlotte easily noticed the fear in the girl’s eyes. She wanted Merel to feel comfortable enough to walk around topless, but she didn’t want to force her to do something she didn’t want. Carefully she grabbed the strings of the guitarist’s bikini top, promising herself to stop at the slightest sign of reluctance. There was none. Merel let her take off the top, blushing once her breast were revealed. They were small, just like the girl herself and they perfectly fitted Merel. Lightly Charlotte ran a single finger over the girl’s skin. Over her abdomen, her navel and eventually the sides of her breasts. They were so different from Floor’s, it almost felt uncomfortable to touch them.

‘Whoa, what’s with all those boobs?’

Charlotte and Merel jumped apart as Sharon’s voice sounded. The brunette smiled while she also took off her top, but the redhead only had eyes for her girlfriend. Floor looked like she was ready to kill someone, either Charlotte or Merel. The anger was visible in her motions as she followed the example of the other women and took off her top before stepping into the water again.  
Charlotte sighed. She liked spending time with Merel and the guitarist was incredibly cute and fun to flirt with, but this wasn’t worth it. She was hurting Floor, something she’d sworn she would never do.

And yet, here she was. Hurting the one woman she loved the most and hoping this trip would be over soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by unchaintheescapist

Hands trailed along Sharon’s hips and lower stomach while fingers fiddled with the hem of her tank-top. The scent of the water in the lake still lingered on the women’s skin, throwing Sharon back to the sight of Tarja’s wet and naked chest. Lips descended from the back of Sharon’s ear to her neck, awaken the arousal and longing for the woman who occupied every corner of her heart. 

Moaning as lips finally connected to each other, Sharon’s ruby top went up towards her chest, soft palms moving over the goosebumps collecting on her stomach.

“Tarja…”

The touch was so familiar that she felt like crying, the care and the gentleness almost becoming too much for Sharon’s resolve. For the past few days she had been aching for this. Turning Tarja down every night she had wanted to have sex, having to endure the betrayal and confusion she had seen in Tarja’s eyes every time she had shown an interest towards Floor.

“I’ve been waiting for this.” Tarja whispered as her hands travelled further up and cupped Sharon’s breasts, her nipples perking up at the attention. With her back making a minor thud against the bedroom wall, Sharon placed her forearms across Tarja’s shoulders and pulled her even closer. The smells and the touches held a comfortable familiarity to them and were almost too easy to fall right back into. In this scenario she had her, she had the woman she loved. Physically she was there, but her heart and mind may not.

But Sharon needed to know. She had to know where they stood. One more year of this would be too much of a strain on her heart. The insecurity and fear of abandonment seized her and made her limbs feel heavy.

“Wait, I can’t…”

“Can’t wait to do this?”

Placing her knee between Sharon’s legs, Tarja started rolling her nipples between her fingers while biting down on a full, pink lower lip.

“No, I… please stop.”

“It’s okay. We can wait until tonight. Or maybe you would rather sleep with Floor?”

She said it like it was a fleeting thing, an alternative that Sharon wouldn’t choose. But that was all she had been doing during this trip, and the fact that Tarja hadn’t questioned her decision to do so made her heart ache even more.

“So that’s how it’s going to be, huh? You and Floor?” Tarja said, slowly backing away from the other woman while dragging her fingers through her long, black hair.

“I mean yeah sure, she’s awesome and beautiful… and tall. Go right ahead.”

The smallest spark of rage erupted in Sharon’s chest at the flippancy in the other woman’s voice. How could anyone be that dense? Sharon hadn’t been with anyone other than Tarja since their “friends with benefits” deal began, something that the Finn was very much aware of. And yet she couldn’t connect the pieces.

“Fine! And then maybe I’ll fuck Charlotte and Merel too!” Sharon shouted while her palms connected with Tarja’s clavicles and pushing her backwards, the brunette disappearing through the doorway and leaving the Finn behind. To Sharon the words had been empty but hopefully they would ring louder to the other woman. The brunette could only hope. 

With disbelief and anger clouding her mind, Sharon stomped into the living room and noticed how the other women’s faces were glued to the TV screen.

_“Hey”_

_“Um. Excuse me, but who the hell are you?”_

_“Carmilla. I’m your new roommate, sweetheart.”_

The casual entrance of the lesbian vampire set off Charlotte’s inner fangirl, the redhead’s squeals covering up the sound of the theme song. At this point, Sharon had lost count on how many times they had watched Carmilla together. Crying over the season 1 ending and the Hollstein/Hollence ship wars. Of course Floor and Charlotte would be team Hollence, Danny practically looked like their lovechild.

Sitting down next to Floor’s armchair, Sharon leaned into the furniture and sighed in delight as the tall woman started to run her hand through her hair, the calmness of the moment taking her away from the current chaos that seemed to surround the woman in the other room.


	9. Chapter 9

There was something with Merel. The way she smiled at her every time their eyes met with that little twinkle in her eyes, how she made sure their fingers touched when Charlotte handed her something from the cupboard. She might not have said a single word yet, but her entire body betrayed her. Merel had something on her mind and Charlotte had no idea what to expect.

The guitarist had gotten a lot more comfortable in the group. At first she hadn’t been keen on swimming topless, but after a few minutes she seemed to have forgotten about it. She dared to suggest what they should do during the day, what to eat, and she seemed to put her everything into the games they played. She even seemed to get over her fear of Furious Tarja.

Charlotte turned out to be right over Merel’s secret. Once the table was ready for breakfast, the guitarist grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the living room. She was surprised when Merel pushed her down on the couch and looked down at her with a grin. The blonde’s lower lip was caught between her teeth as she crawled on top of the singer’s lap, straddling her with a knee at each side. Gently she cupped Charlotte’s face, looked her in the eye, and then closed the distance between them.

Merel’s mouth felt warm on her lips, but it still wasn’t enough to wake the fire within her. She could feel how the blonde did her best, how she kissed her with all the passion she had in her tiny body. Her hand stroked one side of Charlotte’s neck as she pressed her breasts against the singer’s. Her breath hovered over the freckles before they were kissed, her lips making her way towards the redhead’s neck. A soft moan sounded when they reached their destination. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t Floor who was kissing her neck. It was the most vulnerable spot of her body and she had no control when it was touched.

Without really thinking what she was doing, Charlotte let her hands travel up the guitarist’s thighs again. She let them slip under the shirt the girl was wearing and softly stroked the skin that felt surprisingly cold. It was only when she suddenly felt a small hand cupping her breast that she started realizing what they were doing. She took a hold of Merel’s hand and pulled back from the kiss, looking the blonde in the eye.

‘You’re confident.’

‘I-yes…’ Merel mumbled as her cheeks turned slightly pink. ‘I asked Tarja for some tips.’

‘Of all people, you asked Tarja?’

‘Well, yes… From what I’ve seen she knows what to do with women and I… I’ve never been with a woman before, but I like it. You’ve really opened my eyes.’

‘You’re becoming quite a charmer, aren’t you?’

‘Well, not without you. You put the Char in charmer.’ Merel smiled, receiving an eye roll from the singer. ‘You know, at first I thought something was going on between you and Floor, but I’m glad I was wrong. I was also very wrong about what I thought would happen during this trip, I mean… I didn’t think I would ever lose an air guitar battle.’

Charlotte laughed as she remembered the battle of the previous evening before the silence returned. Gently Merel freed her hand and gathered a few strands of red hair, curling it around her finger with a soft smile. Slowly the meaning of her words sank in. She was glad there was nothing between Floor and Charlotte. But she was wrong, a lot of things were going on between the singers. There was jealousy and tension, but also so much love. Merel would probably be disappointed if she found out, but it was better than hurting her.

‘Believe me, there are a lot of things you’re wrong about.’

Without another word Charlotte carefully pushed the guitarist off her lap and got up. She didn’t dare to look back as she climbed the stairs, she had to get away from the girl. Carefully she opened the door to her bedroom and did her best to close it again without making a single sound. She sat down next to Floor’s sleeping form and softly kissed her cheek. Floor stirred for a moment, then she opened her eyes.

‘What time is it?’

‘You know that I love you, right?’ Charlotte asked without answering her girlfriend’s question.

Within a second all sleep seemed to leave Floor’s body. Her eyes were wide open, her face became serious.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Merel kissed me.’ Charlotte mumbled. ‘I mean, I kissed her first, a few days ago, but I swear it didn’t mean anything. I only love you.’

‘I know.’

Floor sat up and pulled her into her arms. Just this small gesture, the feeling of those strong arms around her, was enough to wake the butterflies. It was a feeling she would never get used to, and she cherished every bit of it.

‘Look, I hate it when you act all clingy with Merel, it makes me so angry to see you flirt with someone else. I know that it doesn’t mean anything, I know that you love me, and you have to know that the only reason I’m so jealous is because I love you too. To be honest I’m quite offended that you’re not jealous.’

‘That’s because you and Sharon are both terrible at flirting.’

‘True.’ Floor sighed. ‘You don’t have to worry about Sharon, and I know I don’t have to worry about Merel, but it’s just stronger than myself. I’ll be so glad when all of this is over tomorrow, and I wish I could promise you to stay calm, but you know I can’t do that. The only thing I can promise you is that I love you, that I know that you love me and that you don’t ever have to worry about that.’

Floor sealed her words with a kiss. It was just a brief meeting of their lips, but it was exactly what Charlotte needed. Floor easily scared people, but she was also so good and comforting her. Charlotte knew she was hurting her girlfriend, and Floor still assured her she loved her. Just two more days, and then they could truly be together again. Just two more very long days…


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by unchaintheescapist

Fun bags, honkers, earmuffs, double whoppers, glory melons. Quite fitting nicknames for a soft pair of boobies. And also the perfect description for the current view Sharon had from her place on the wooden bench. Five pairs of tiddies proudly on display, steam rising from the middle of the room, fluffy towels for the ass to chill on. Sweat trickling down chests and backs, eyes trying not to follow the paths the drops took. Being in a sauna and letting the heat encompass every part of your body worked like a cleanser for both mind and heart and the quick dip into the cold water in the lake afterwards seemed to breathe new life into you. Sharon still remembered her first time being in a sauna with Tarja a few years back, how her hands had been itching to grab her towel and wrap it around herself and how it felt like her eyes would melt out of her eye sockets. And with Tarja being her outmost confident self in everything that she was. Which was nude. 

“They call me Tarjatata because I’m tatalicious.”

It seemed that the fight they had had the evening before hadn’t affected the Finn at all. The look in her eyes was the same, her persistent flirting with Sharon was the same. Nothing had changed. And Sharon felt like screaming at it all. Her best friend didn’t see what was wrong with her, didn’t see what was brewing beneath her skin.

“Oh yeah well… Charlotte?”

Merel and Charlotte were close to cuddled up together in one of the corners of the sauna. During the week they had spent at the cabin, they had all gotten to know Merel a bit better and she seemed to be a sweet and funny but shy girl. But her stay with them had messed with the group dynamic. Floor had been nothing but pissed during their entire stay, and Charlotte acted like she constantly wanted to hump Merel’s leg. Usually the two singers were inseparable, but the new addition to their little foursome had torn the two women apart. Why was Charlotte distancing herself from the taller woman?

Moving her eyes away from Merel’s puppy ones, Charlotte began raking her eyes up and down Tarja’s body while gears seemed to be turning in her head. Comments with a not so innocent nature were often fired off when all the women were in the sauna together. And how could they not?

“You’re like my little toe, because I’m going to bang you on every piece of furniture in my home.”

“OHHH NICE ONE!” Tarja exclaimed loudly before getting up from the bench and giving the redhead a high five, giving Sharon a nice view of her well-shaped backside. A backside one could go sledding on, one worth all the love in the world.

“After taking you under my wings, I expected better from you Merel.”

_Taking her un-_

“Well I did…the thing we talked about… with the neck. You showed me how to…”

“Yeah, drives them crazy right? You’re lucky Charlotte, she’s a fast learner!” Tarja said while putting on a bit of a swagger to her hips as she walked towards Sharon before sitting down beside her.

So Tarja had been with Merel so that she could… Tarja really had no shame at all. Jumping into bed with Merel just because Sharon didn’t want to have sex. She really was that replaceable. When she first started singing and joining a metal band, everyone had abandoned her. Her friends and family never understood, never supported her in her life choices. And now she was being thrown to the side once more, by the woman she loved.

“Okay, then how about this one… the word for tonight is “legs.” Let’s go back to my place and spread the word?”

Sharon could have sworn that she had heard the sound of wood spliting in half after Merel’s ridicolous line and looked over at Floor to see that a fire had been lit in her eyes, rage slowly leaking out of her pores while her hands gripped the bench she sat on tightly. Charlotte on the other hand seemed a bit impressed by Merel’s comment. Sweeping her eyes across the smaller woman’s body while letting a grin cross her mouth, the redhead leaned in and kissed Merel’s cheek. And Sharon could have sworn during that moment that the temperature began dropping by multiple degrees. The tall brunette having everything to do with the shift.

“Now you’re a true charmer.”

The tiniest spark was all it took to light a flame. And in this case, a comment to set off the gentlest of giants.

“I’M NOT DOING THIS ANYMORE!” a now towel clad Floor shouted while breezing past a seated Sharon, Charlotte quick to follow the tall brunette in what seemed like panic.

“Floor, wait!”

Concern for her friend drumming through her veins, Sharon got up and followed the women, barely registering Merel and Tarja doing the same. Walking out of the sauna and following the sound of raised voices coming from the kitchen, the confusion and pile of questions seemed to grow even more.

“Honey, please…”

The sight of Charlotte openly sobbing while simultaneously trying to keep her towel from falling to the ground had Sharon pausing. Floor stood in the kitchen on the other side of the archway while the other women were in the living room and looked so crushed that it nearly brought tears to Sharon’s own eyes. Snorting in what seemed disbelief over Charlotte’s words, Floor’s shaking hands began clenching on the counter top. Her breathing was shallow and rugged, Sharon only now noticing how worn the brunette looked, how haunted her blue eyes were.

“I promised you a week, Charlotte. A week. And I thought I could handle it but… you know what, I can’t.”

Unclenching her hands, the tall woman started to open drawer after drawer, her hands seemingly looking for something that could calm her down and distract her from the turmoil that went on inside her head.

“I can’t because I want nothing more than to cuddle with you in front of the TV.”

The wobble in the usually calm and stoic woman’s voice tugged at Sharon’s heartstrings, realization about what was going on spreading through her veins. Choked whimpers shook Charlotte’s body, her whole frame releasing what she had kept hidden. What they both had. 

“I can’t because all I want to do is to sneak you kisses while we’re out swimming in the lake.” the brunette said, her hands stopping their search and settling on the counter. A tangible pain radiated off Floor’s body, her chest moving rapidly up and down while she looked at Charlotte. Her secret, the woman she loved. The whole room seemed to still, Sharon barely being aware of the two women behind her. It all clicked into place then. Floor’s temper and Charlotte’s sudden interest in Merel.

“And I can’t because she’s there and I see the way she looks at you!”

Stepping out from behind the counter and out into the living room with the label maker in her hand, Floor’s fingers began typing furiously.

“I’m the one who’s been with you through your highs and lows, NOT HER! AND I’LL BE DAMNED IF I LOSE YOU, BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!”

The machine in the brunette’s hand gave off a low hum as a small sticker came out of it, Floor quick to tear it away and sticking it to Charlotte’s forehead, the redhead not even flinching at the rough movement.

“Because I love you. So… damn… much… and I want to show other people that I do.”

With tears brimming over in her ocean blue gems, Floor briskly turned around and dropped the label maker before making her way towards the back, the door there opening and closing with a bang. Gulping down what felt like the first breath of air in several minutes, Sharon could feel the guilt washing over her. She had been a part of all of this, one of the wedges between the two lovers. She should have seen the signs. They had been right there.

“Charlotte…”

The whisper coming from Merel’s mouth had the redhead turning around, the word **Mine** printed across her forehead. She looked so lost, a piece seemingly missing. She didn’t face the smaller blonde, nor did she say anything before she too disappeared from the other women’s sight.

A few seconds, even a few minutes might have been passing by, before Tarja became the first one to speak.

“So, seems like all that flirting with Floor was in vain then!”

The breath that Sharon had managed to take disappeared once again, coating the room in a thick tension. Thick enough to cut it with a knife. Here she had been for a week, hoping that Tarja would see her as more than a pretty woman to fuck. Sharon had been so overwhelmed with her own problems that she hadn’t seen what was going on between Charlotte and Floor. There was hope there. Unlike between her and Tarja it seemed.

“In vain, of course it was!”

The smile Tarja had been sporting was quickly wiped away.

“It was a waste of everyone’s time! I could have been there to help and support them!”

The gates were open, Sharon’s previous fear of being rejected completely vanishing. This was now bigger than she first could have imagined. She had let her friends down. And for that, she would never forgive herself.

“And not with you, trying to knock some sense into you that I’m right here! Right here and loving you with all that I am!”

Not even bothering to face the woman she cared so much about, Sharon turned on her heel and made her way towards her room. Cursing the fact that they all went to the cabin in the first place.

————

She looked so beautiful where she sat, so beautiful in fact that it had Charlotte pausing in her steps just a little bit. Hair fluttering in the wind, eyes on the horizon while sunlight touched and memorized her features. They were both still dressed in their towels, the vulnerability noticeable during their time of undress.

It was never meant to get this far. Charlotte never meant to break her beloved’s heart. But somehow she did and now they had to repair what was left.

“Hey”

Voice rough from crying, Charlotte noticed how Floor’s ears perked up at the sound. And when she turned her head, Charlotte could still see the love shining through them. All was not lost.

“Hey” Floor replied, making room for Charlotte to sit down beside her on the red painted bench underneath one of the apple trees in the garden. Simply being this close to the other woman had things stirring in her stomach.

“I’m sorry.”

“No I… I should be the one to apologize. I shouldn’t have put this here.” the brunette said while carefully peeling away the sticker from Charlotte’s forehead, the redhead having forgotten about it entirely.

“You are mine. I mean not in the possessive kind of- you are your own person but I want you t- Oh you know what I mean!”

Gently rubbing the tip of her nose against Floor’s shoulder, Charlotte showed her girlfriend that she understood while also reassuring her that she wouldn’t leave. They belonged together. Something that Charlotte felt down to the very core of her being. This week had shown them that. 

“You two make a cute couple.”

The women hadn’t even heard Merel approach, and now that she was here, Charlotte felt even worse than before. She had taken advantage of the guitarist, played with her feelings for her own selfish gains. Charlotte had kissed and touched her and with that, bringing a whole lot of promises of her own. They were friends and this trip had brought them even closer. And Charlotte didn’t want to lose that. Straightening her back, the redhead brushed her right hand fingers against Floor’s forearm, quietly seeking support from the brunette. They had both been in on this after all.

“It was wrong to do this to you, Merel.”

The blonde hugged the towel closer to her body while her eyes settled on a spot of grass next to Charlotte’s feet.

“We’re both very sorry for what we did. But w-“

“You’re not “out” yet and you got scared. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay, Merel. We shouldn’t have taken advantage of you.”

The guitarist looked more and more uncomfortable as the seconds passed, her lower lip venturing in and out of her mouth repeatedly while her teeth tried to catch it. The clearing of a throat made her stop.

“I know that you have feelings for Charlotte, but can you please stop…doing that?”

Eloquent as always, just like when she had asked Charlotte out for the first time. Her reason being because they both wore the same kind of nose piercing. Charlotte felt how the corners of her mouth started twitching and soon, Merel was mimicking those exact movements.

It was going to be okay.

“Don’t worry Floor. After all of this I won’t even look at her the wrong way again.”

Seemingly soothed by those words alone, Floor grabbed Charlotte’s hand and gave it a squeeze. It would probably take some time before they got back to where they were before in their relationship, but it was worth it. Together they felt whole.

“This whole week has taught me something though.” the blonde said while sitting down in front of the other two women, the familiar brightness back into her eyes.

“And it is that you have to try new things in life. And to not be afraid while doing them. Life is too short to be lived in fear.”

Looking over at Floor, Charlotte saw that Merel’s words had hit something within her too. Friends, families, careers. They all seemed smaller and less significant the longer they looked into each other’s eyes. As their lips met in a short but loving kiss, that unexplainable notion of love settled in Charlotte’s chest once more.

————

“Sharon?”

Lifting her head from her tear soaked pillow, the brunette caught the sound of Tarja’s timid voice along with a knock on the door. She didn’t know how long she had been buried under the blankets on the bed, but her chest and arms were aching from hugging herself and the pillow in her arms.

“Can I come in?”

A big part of her wanted to scream at Tarja to never return, but her body was too tired. Her mind was too tired. It was all in at this point. And it seemed that Tarja wouldn’t walk away just yet.

“Yeah”

As the Finn emerged from behind the door, Sharon quickly realized that she too had been crying. No longer clad in a towel, but wearing one of Charlotte’s shorts and tank tops, she carefully walked into the room until she stood at an arm’s length away from the bed. Her arms were hugging her stomach, seemingly trying to hide the fact that they were shaking badly.

“Are you dressed?”

Nodding while gesturing for Tarja to sit down beside her, Sharon began pushing herself upwards so that her back rested against the wall. The type of clothes she wore were similar to Tarja’s, but as luck would have it, they were turned inside out. Pretty much like she felt.

The bed dipped slightly as the Finn sat down, her body angled so that she managed to face Sharon’s front just a bit while still remaining at her side. Pulling her blanket to the side, Sharon brought up her legs to her chest and hugged her knees tightly to her body. Everything in her was set for rejection, just because she went for something that she felt in her heart was right.

Their movie nights disappeared, their late night Skype calls disappeared, and the tender moments of lovemaking were roughly torn away.

Clearing her throat before opening her mouth to speak, Tarja began fiddling with the sheet beneath her.

“After I was fired from Nightwish my whole world was turned upside down. I lost the friends I had made through the band and my reputation in Finland was ruined. Ten years disappeared during the span of a couple of days.”

Sharon still remembered the stories Tarja had told her and how much it had taken her to do so. The rock and roll lifestyle wasn’t as fun as people made it up to be.

“I started making my own music after a while, but I still felt lonely with this thought in my head that nothing was permanent. And would never be.”

Her voice started shaking slightly and Sharon looked up just in time to see tears fall from her beloved’s eyes. She had never mentioned that she felt lonely before, only that she got bored easily and never wanted to stop moving. To keep going forward. When she was in fact running from herself.

“At first I didn’t plan on sleeping around, because it didn’t felt like me. But it later turned out that that was exactly what I wanted. Not to be me.”

The brunette was close to sobbing, but she still held firm while Sharon’s entire body screamed at her to hold the woman in front of her. She knew that it took a lot of her to open up about this.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Tarja connected her emerald gems with Sharon’s chocolate ones, the emotions she saw swirling around there rattling her into her very bones and making her lungs constrict.

Tarja loved her too.

“And then I met you and I… it felt like I had finally found home. That I could rest with you, that my heart could rest easily with you.”

The singers were both openly crying at that point, pouring their hearts out and letting them sing for once.

“I knew what you had been through and I didn’t want to hurt you. But I did. I did and now I just want to fix that and… Please forgive me, Sha-“ 

Launching forwards and connecting Tarja’s lips with her own, Sharon put her arms around the Finn’s neck and brought her body closer to her own. Tears mixing together and sparks igniting from where their skin touched, Sharon dug her nails into Tarja’s scalp and felt as the Finn did the same against her lower back.

They had shared many kisses before, but this one was different from all the others. It was one that you could feel down to your toes, one that spoke more than words ever could.

Pulling back to get some air back into their lungs, Sharon leaned her forehead against Tarja’s and caressed the fine hairs on her neck gently. Their eyes met, still swollen and red, but they spoke of another feeling entirely.

“I love you.”

And this time, Sharon let herself feel it. From her fingers and down to her toes. In every cell in her body. And deep down she knew that this feeling would never leave. That this person would never leave.

They had both found home in each other.

“I love you too.”


End file.
